Hi,
I’m a senior in HS who has already applied to a few colleges, and I am currently shuffled along the same path of most seniors. The thing is, I don’t really see value in college. Not necessarily because of the cost, because my parents will pay for everything, but in the experience itself. After getting a 35 act and a pretty solid GPA people expect me to go to a high caliber school, but I see those achievements to mean that I’m capable enough to succeed no matter what path I take. I enjoy coding, and I feel like I can learn just as much by taking an online course as by getting a $250,000 computer science degree. I want to tell my parents this, but their expectations are set in, and their money is attached to them. Should I try college knowing that I might drop out? I’m sorry for the weird and rambling post, I just wanted to release my thoughts. Any opinions and advice would be immensly appreciated.
I think you should talk to your parents about how you feel. They still may not agree with you, but their financial investment will not be a good one if you are certain that you will flunk out. Also, fixing things after flunking out will likely be harder than taking a gap to figure out whether or not you have the drive needed to get an undergraduate degree (and nother flunking out in the process). You clearly have the capacity, but capacity only gets you so far.
It is so tough for a 17 or 18 year old student to know what they want to do with their lives at this point. You have valid feelings. And… it’s great that you have taken the time to realize that college may not be for you. You should definitely speak with your parents to let them know how you are feeling. Maybe you all can come up with a plan together. In addition, take a look at it from the other side. College offers more than an academic education. Things that aren’t always so quantitative.
It sounds like you will do well with either path. There are many successful people out there that took a path that did not go thru college. College is not for everyone.
One reality in the workplace is there are often minimal academic requirements that must be met for particular jobs. Your contention that your high school grades and scores are sufficient is questionable because you are not unique in the quality of your preparation and some sort of credentialing is often required. Finally, you may find that you have gaps in your current training that reduces your job prospects.
College will teach you so much more than coding and computer science. If you’re really unsure, start at a community college and see how it goes.
Maybe think about taking a gap year to figure out what you want to do.